Although “the customer is always right,” they may not always be easy to deal with. Learning how to deal with difficult customers is an important step for any entrepreneur. Even businesses with the best products and services are bound to have occasional run-ins with angry customers.
The customer is the heart, that is the source of revenue and blood for the business. As an entrepreneur, your inability to handle difficult customers, will mark the end of your business. According to research, 95% of difficult customers, if handled well, are likely to recommend your products and services to potential customers. In short, more business referrals come from well-handled difficult customers.
According to Kim Angeli, CEO of Grateful Box, the first strategy in turning unhappy customers from grumpy to grateful is to thank them for sharing their bad experience with you. As an entrepreneur, you should be very happy to receive complaints and difficult customers. In Africa, most Entreprenuers seems to be unhappy with difficult customers.
Personally, I have seen business owners exchanging words difficult customers to the extent of cutting them off the business. A very bad strategy in business. What most entrepreneurs don’t know is that, they are in business to make profit, not to change a customer. You need the customer’s money no matter how difficult he/she seems to be.
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Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs focus on changing the difficult customer, rather than focusing on the profit. Research shows that 93% of difficult customers are more likely to make repeat purchases with businesses that are able to handle them properly.
No matter how difficult a customer will be, he/she can be handled, and this is the first step of handling a difficult customer. Since difficult customers are inevitable, you must know how to effectively resolve customer conflicts.
Below are some strategies of handling difficult customers;
- The Angry Customer
Angry customers can be very challenging. A good first step is to apologize, even if you don’t feel like you have done something wrong. This simple action can help to calm them down so that you can move on to a more productive conversation.
An angry customer may raise their voice, but you should keep your voice at a normal level. You may even want to soften your voice. The most important part of handling an angry customer is to remain calm and never reciprocate their anger.
Try to resolve the situation by addressing pointed grievances they have regarding the subject at hand. Remember to keep it brief: The longer you linger, the more opportunities for grievances arise and the less time you have to spend with your other customers.
If the customer is swearing or being verbally abusive, take a deep breath and continue as if you didn’t hear them. Responding in kind will not solve anything, and it will usually escalate the situation. Instead, remind the customer that you are there to help them and are their best immediate chance of resolving the situation. This simple statement often helps defuse the situation.
2. The Demanding Customer
Demanding customers may have a misunderstanding of how you are able to help them. A demanding customer may ask you to do something that you are not authorized or otherwise able to do for them. With this type of customer, you can assure them that you will do whatever you possibly can to meet their needs. And be prepared to compromise if they are asking for too much.
Speak slowly and be patient. Hear their concerns and move swiftly to address them. Be transparent, too; answers to buy time or put off their needs while addressing other customers may not go over well.
Do not try to talk over the customer or argue with them. Let the customer have their say, even if you know what they are going to say next, that they don’t have all the information or that they are mistaken. As you listen, take the opportunity to build rapport with the customer.
3. The Impatient Customer
An impatient customer may have been waiting in line longer than usual, they may be running late to their next appointment, or maybe they’re restless while you search for a solution to their issue or concern.
Be clear and to the point without appearing dismissive of their demeanor. Explain transparently why there’s a wait or delay without getting into specifics. Make sure an impatient customer knows that effort is being invested in resolving the situation.
Frame your answers in a positive light, too. For example, instead of saying that an item is out of stock, explain that a new delivery is expected by a certain date or that you are working quickly to restock the items in question.
In conclusion
Often, difficult or even angry customers aren’t expressing frustration with you. These emotions are tied to external situations and psychological stimuli. So, put your great communication skills to work, draw on your superpower of reading the situation, and use tips for managing difficult customers to save your customer from churning.
It’s important to effectively deal with difficult customers because proper customer service can help you retain customers. It’s a great way of turning a negative situation into a positive one, and can encourage the customer to become an advocate of your brand or product because of how well you handled their situation and frustrations. Difficult customers may walk away feeling more impressed after your interaction, as opposed to an ordinary customer who may not have had as much interaction with you.
Our natural response is to get defensive and get into a negative mindset with a disgruntled client. Once you flip the switch and start with ‘thank you,’ the response is out of the ordinary for them. Always speak to the issue at hand and do not get personal, even if the customer does. Remember that the customer doesn’t know you and is just venting frustration at you as a representative of your business. Everyone has an occasional bad day. Maybe your rude customer had a fight with their spouse, got a traffic ticket that morning or had a recent run of bad luck. We’ve all been there, to some degree. Try to empathize and make their day better by being a pleasant, calming voice, because it will make you feel good, too.
Source: www.ghanaafricanews.com
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